"Assistant Professor Learning in Organizations"

Job Description

Do you want to advance research on how workers and teams learn in a rapidly changing world? We invite you to join our section Professional Learning & Technology as an Assistant Professor. Your work will center on workplace and team learning, supporting people and organizations through transitions like digitalization, sustainability, and healthcare reform. If you are passionate about connecting rigorous research with societal relevance, we look forward to your application.

Our research in the field of Professional Learning & Technology is situated at the intersection of learning and organization studies. We are a young, engaged, and interdisciplinary research group that aims to advance knowledge and practice on how people and organizations – both individually and collectively – learn, change, and innovate. We combine rigorous research with co-creation and impact-driven practices to shape the transitions we study. Technology plays a central role—not only as a context and driver for learning but also as a tool to understand and support learning and innovation processes.

Our research approach is process-oriented, using methods that range from intensive longitudinal studies with apps and sensors to in-depth embedded ethnographic research. Together with stakeholders, we design tools and interventions, such as VR training, learning communities, serious games, and team feedback systems, to support organizations during transitions. Collaboration is at the heart of what we do: we value team science, foster partnerships within and beyond our university, and actively contribute to international research networks like EARLI, AoM, and EGOS.

As an Assistant Professor, you will have the freedom and support to develop your own funded research line within our group. Contribution towards the supervision of PhD students is part of this position.

Teaching is an integral and highly valued part of this role. You will (co-)teach courses on lifelong learning and team learning in the HRD track of our Master and pre-master program Educational Science and Technology (EST). You will also contribute to the challenge-based interdisciplinary minor “Professional Learning in Organizations” and supervise graduation projects for students in EST and Psychology.

You will engage in cross-disciplinary collaboration with other groups in the department Learning, Data, and Technology, the BMS faculty and the university and contribute to the development of our network of academic, public, and private partners in the field of professional learning and technology. You will have access to our BMS Lab, providing you with 800 m2 of high-end lab facilities, a plethora of innovative equipment to carry out research, and a mobile lab.

Lastly, you will be invited to take part in and support our team science and social activities, such as our collective “Shut Up and Write Weeks”, our research hubs, innovation groups, daily lunches and several social activities. All to make our group more than a collection of individuals.

Requirements

You hold a PhD (or you are close to completion) in a relevant area of research, such as educational science, human resource development/management, organizational psychology, or organization studies, ideally with a focus on workplace or team learning;

You have strong methodological skills, preferably experience with process research and/or design-based research, and you have experience in conducting research in field settings;

You are able to create an impact with your research in both the academic and professional fields, as evidenced by publications in peer-reviewed journals, professional publications or tools, and invitations for presentations or workshops;

You have experience acquiring external funding and the drive to apply for external projects;

You own a (equivalent of) University Teaching Qualification certificate or are willing to obtain this and have the ambition to become a skilled and collegial teacher. You are passionate about innovative teaching approaches, and you have a reflexive stance in your work;

You possess good communication skills and an excellent command of English (C1 or C2) and, preferably, the Dutch language.

Conditions of Employment

We offer you a contract for 1 year (for 32-40 hours per week). With the intention of a permanent position if financial conditions remain unchanged;

The envisioned starting date is February 1st, 2026;

Salary between € 4728 and € 6433 gross per month (in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities) based on the job profile of Assistant Professor;

8,3% end-of-year bonus and 8% holiday allowance;

Minimum of 29 holidays in case of full-time employment;

An attractive pensions scheme;

A family friendly institution;

Free use of sports facilities;

The terms of employment are in accordance with the Dutch Collective Labor Agreement for Universities (CAO).

Department

The PLT research group is an engaged group of people who share a passion for how people learn, develop, collaborate, and innovate at work, within and across their organizations. We bring together diverse backgrounds and scholarly communities, including Educational Sciences, Business Administration (HRM), Organization Studies, Communication Science, and Psychology. Core concepts include transformative learning, meaning-making, self-directed workplace learning, technology-enhanced learning, team learning, organizational change, and new forms of organizing. Our research ranges from advanced quantitative analyses and measurements with bodily sensors to highly embedded, ethnographic, and interpretative approaches. We teach in the Human Resource Development track of the (pre)master Educational Science & Technology program and in a minor module on Professional Learning in Organizations. The PLT research group is embedded in the Learning, Data, and Technology Department within the Faculty of Behavioural, Management, and Social Sciences.

Additional Information

Additional information regarding the position can be obtained from Prof. dr. Maaike Endedijk (m.d.endedijk@utwente.nl; 06-39270228). You are also invited to visit our website and LinkedIn page.

Please submit your application by December 1st by filling in the form, including a motivation letter and current CV (choose ‘apply now’). In addition, we ask you to include a one-pager in your motivation letter as an appendix in which you describe your envisioned research line and contribution to our teaching program. Applications that do not include this one-pager will not be considered. Screening is part of the application process.

The job interviews will be held on December 11 and December 18.